The Chicago Bears moved remarkably fast once the Detroit Lions lost their divisional playoff game to Washington. They quickly brought in Eddie George for an interview to help satisfy the Rooney Rule, sending a clear signal they planned to go after their preferred target right away. All signs up to that point said it was Ben Johnson. Just 48 hours later, the news dropped. Both sides had come to an agreement on a new deal. Johnson was coming to Chicago as their 19th head coach in franchise history.

The dizzying speed at which it came together was a far cry from anything the Bears had done in years past. Such decisiveness has been foreign to the franchise for years. This time felt different. If you don’t believe it, just look at Johnson’s ecstatic welcome upon his arrival at Halas Hall.

This is a good reminder that fans aren’t the only ones with deep emotions tied to this team. The same is true for all who work inside that building. All of their efforts are committed to building a winner. As if the arrival wasn’t good enough, Johnson had the perfect opening line.

Ben Johnson clearly has the presence for the job.

One of the biggest concerns about him was whether he had the charisma and leadership to command a room. This is only a small sample size, but it’s evident Johnson isn’t afraid to deliver a message with emotion and intent. An ability to communicate and have strong relationships is essential for any head coach. This was a constant issue with Matt Eberflus. While he had a solid structure on producing a committed team, it always felt like he didn’t have the natural ability to communicate without sounding hoaky and awkward.

That doesn’t appear to be the case with Ben Johnson. He understands how to convey his emotions well and has a sense of humor. That should translate perfectly into the locker room. He also has a reputation for being intense and demanding in his approach, which are two traits the Bears players have been begging for. There is no telling where the story goes from here. All one can say is the excitement is real.

The Bears have done it—they’ve landed their top target. From the start, they aimed for the hottest offensive mind in football over the past decade. Despite widespread criticism of the Bears’ front office from both the media and fans, they’ve managed to secure their guy in Ben Johnson. While the organization’s dysfunction isn’t entirely negated with one move, landing the top coaching candidate despite these challenges highlights the power of the Bears name—and perhaps a generous paycheck helped too.

Ben Johnson wanted Chicago.

Not Las Vegas. Not Jacksonville.

He wanted to work with Caleb Williams.

— Dave (@dave_bfr) January 20, 2025

The Bears are a charter franchise, and winning in Chicago holds a unique prestige, unlike winning in cities like Las Vegas or Jacksonville. In Chicago, winning can make you a legend, and it seems Ben Johnson wants to achieve that legendary status. It’s too early to fully evaluate this hire, but bringing in the top coaching candidate is an undeniable win—an automatic A+ for me. But ESPN analyst Benjamin Solak agrees, awarding the hire an A+ and calling it the “dream outcome” for the Bears.

Solak praised the pairing of Johnson with Chicago’s young quarterback, Caleb Williams, emphasizing how Johnson’s offensive expertise could maximize Williams’ potential and shape the future of the Bears . Johnson’s presence alone significantly increases the likelihood of Williams’ success.

“Most importantly, Johnson is the sort of powerful offensive mind who can draw the best out of Williams — the future of Bears football if he hits. A coach like Johnson makes Williams hitting all the more likely. The Bears got their guy.”

Caleb Williams wanted a coach he could grow with for the next decade or more, and now, Chicago has their man.

If anybody knows what the Chicago Bears have been through over the years on the offensive side of the ball, it would be Mike Martz. The former St. Louis Rams head coach was the offensive coordinator for the organization in 2010 and 2011, helping them reach an NFC championship and elevating Jay Cutler to MVP conversations. Unfortunately, his controversial style turned many against him, and he was eventually fired. Since then, the organization has struggled to find somebody who can fix their constant woes on that side of the ball. Martz believes that the search is over.

Chicago made headlines on Monday when it reached an agreement with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to become its new head coach. Martz, who worked with that organization for two years, has kept tabs on them. From his perspective, the Bears are getting somebody truly special. There aren’t many minds like Johnson in the NFL. We’re talking generational coaching talent. He explained on 670 The Score why marrying him with Caleb Williams is a huge win for the organization.

Mike Martz understands what Johnson is walking into.

He, too, was a hotshot offensive coordinator at one point. He elevated the St. Louis Rams to the most dynamic offense in league history and won a Super Bowl in 1999, which led to his promotion to head coach. The team made the playoffs in three of the next four seasons and had a top-10 offense almost every year. He came close to winning a second Super Bowl in 2001. Unfortunately, Tom Brady ruined it. From there, a defensive collapse in 2005 saw him get fired. Many still wonder if that was the right decision since St. Louis failed to reach the playoffs again until 2017.

This is what the Bears could be in line for. Johnson should give their offense a massive jolt. Provided they keep the cupboard stocked with talent, they should be a productive unit every year. If he can maintain stability on the defensive side as well, this team will win games. Mike Martz has no doubt Johnson is capable of that. It remains to be seen what kind of leader the 38-year-old is. The old coach doesn’t seem worried. He expects things will work out exactly as hoped.

In recent years, the Chicago Bears have developed a reputation for making some of the most baffling head coach hires people can recall. They opted for Marc Trestman, a CFL coach, over reigning NFL Coach of the Year Bruce Arians. Next, they chose to hire John Fox despite him being recently fired after a 12-4 season, which was a glaring red flag. Matt Nagy came next, a one-year offensive coordinator from Kansas City with almost no play-calling experience. Last and maybe least was Matt Eberflus, a defensive coordinator who was about to get fired by his current team before the Bears saved him. One can under why people were skeptical this organization would do the logical thing. That is why the Ben Johnson hire came as a jolting shock.

Almost everybody inside the NFL believed the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator was the top candidate of this cycle. He’s a sharp, creative offensive mind who is only 38 years old. In an era where everybody is looking for the next Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, Johnson’s allure was easy to see. The fact that Chicago, of all teams, reeled him in has left many stunned, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic and David Kaplan of ESPN 1000.

Two Chicago Bears figures made Johnson happen.

The first and most obvious is Caleb Williams. It’s been an open secret that Johnson is a fan of the Bears’ young rookie, having watched him at USC and also heard plenty of stories through his agent Richmond Flowers III, who founded the QB Collective, a training camp that Williams has worked at since high school. The other is GM Ryan Poles. He’s had an eye on Ben Johnson since the middle of the 2023 season and has been researching him ever since. When the off-season began, Poles made it clear the offensive coordinator was the top priority. He got his man, thanks in large part to the McCaskeys’ willingness to cut a big enough check. It is a gamble, but that is what you have to do to win at anything in this league.

Things came together remarkably fast. Everybody thought the Chicago Bears were meandering in the wilderness with no plan, meeting 17 head coaching candidates hoping to stumble onto their solution. In reality, GM Ryan Poles and his search team were merely biding their time until the guy they wanted was available. Just 24 hours after Ben Johnson and his Detroit Lions were eliminated from the playoffs, Chicago held an in-person interview with Tennessee State head coach Eddie George. This satisfied the Rooney Rule. Another 24 hours after that, Johnson agreed to a contract. Many don’t know that Poles got a major assist in closing the deal from George McCaskey, of all people.

Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog was on top of this process from the beginning. He confirmed last week that Johnson and Poles seemed to hit it off during the interview. The coach liked a lot of what he was hearing about the situation. However, he had one concern. He wanted assurances that McCaskey and team president Kevin Warren wouldn’t meddle in football decisions. McCaskey agreed. Once that happened, everything else came together.

George McCaskey deserves credit for this.

For all the criticisms he gets as owner of the Bears, there is one thing he’s always been good about. That is staying out of the way of his football people. In the past 15 years, there has never been an indication that he meddles in such things. His goal has always been to hire a GM and a head coach and let them run the show. The team president handles the business side of things. Johnson’s request didn’t require any sacrifices from ownership. It merely asked him to do what he’s already done for years.

The key part will be making sure Warren doesn’t overstep. He has a reputation for sticking his nose into everything. That is not to say he interferes, but it’s something coaches get nervous about. Johnson wants this to be a partnership between him and Poles. Less cooks in the kitchen. George McCaskey at least understands that much. His lack of ego served the Bears perfectly right when they needed it to. Maybe, just maybe, this is the elusive home run he’s been waiting for.